Elderly abuse on the rise in South Florida

Elderly abuse in South Florida is on the rise, and advocates and the state Department of Children & Families are asking the community to help address the problem.

A year ago, Broward andPalm Beach counties recorded some of their lowest abuse numbers in years, according to state statistics. But the latest numbers show statistics headed in the other direction.

From July 2010 through June, Broward County had 5,193 cases of elderly abuse, up from 4,668 the previous year. In Palm Beach County, there were 3,957 cases from 2010 to 2011, up from 3,516 the year before, according to state statistics.

Many of the cases come from self neglect, because the person is poor and may have mental-health issues, officials said.

"You have to care enough just to call," DCF spokesman Mark Riordan said. "Say, 'I think this person may need help' for whatever you're [seeing] to indicate they're starting to not care about themselves."

Noticing an elderly neighbor's overgrown lawn or unkempt home are tell-tale signs of abuse or neglect, officials said.

Cases of exploitation of the elderly by a care worker also are a major issue, authorities said.

"The only people [who can exploit the elderly] at that kind of level are people who do have your trust," Riordan said. "We hope the people we trust would not do that."

In August 2010, Greenacres police said, an elderly couple's caregiver used their checkbook to steal $141,228.

The unidentified woman, whose 82-year-old husband suffered from Alzheimer's disease, contacted authorities. She told detectives she was "perplexed as to where her money was going."

Police linked the money back to the caregiver, Mary Gayle Tomasheski, 56, of The Acreage, who was charged with 177 counts each of forgery and fraud.

Tomasheski is scheduled for trial Oct. 17.

In March 2010 in Hollywood, police accused a financial planner and his stockbroker wife with tricking a pair of elderly sisters out of more than $100,000 and setting themselves up to inherit even more.

The victims, police said, were Josephine Troisi and Mary Teris — then 93 and 95, respectively — both of whom lacked the capacity to make sound decisions, police said.

Tyrone Javellana, 46, and his wife, Cynthia Franke, 50, befriended the sisters and began acting as their advisers, police said. The investigation uncovered transfers from the sisters to the couple ranging from $400 to $32,000, investigators said.

Javellana and Franke were charged with exploiting the elderly in an amount over $100,000. Their case is still pending in court.

Late last year, DCF introduced a program utilizing 12 court-appointed "elderly guardians" for Palm Beach and Broward counties. The guardians are responsible for looking after an elderly person when he or she has no family available to do it.

"A certain percentage of people lack [mental] capacity and don't understand the consequences of what they're doing," said Emilio Maicas, DCF regional director for Adult Protective Services. "People have reached a point where they simply can't do it anymore."

Issues of neglect or abuse also may crop up when a family is in financial straights, advocates said.

"People need not be embarrassed and not feel alone," said Mary Jones, project director with the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach County. "It's something that's OK to ask for help with. You're not a bad person by asking for help."

Another way to help save elders from abuse comes in a word — respect, said Edith Lederberg, executive director of the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County.

"Abuse may come because of lack of respect for elders," she said. "Years ago if someone spoke back to their grandparent [there was trouble]. Respect for your elders went out the window a long time ago."